


for the barista

by fullsunlet



Series: Christmas Christmas Time is Here [8]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Harry Potter References, M/M, Starbucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:09:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22100008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullsunlet/pseuds/fullsunlet
Summary: It was all because of Mark. Donghyuck didn’t even like overly sweet drinks but here he was, sipping on more sugar than coffee just so that he could catch a glimpse of the other.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Series: Christmas Christmas Time is Here [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579702
Comments: 10
Kudos: 165





	for the barista

**Author's Note:**

> \- i don't have anything against android users  
> \- i LOVE harry potter and i'm a ravenclaw btw

Donghyuck had a drink in mind, a simple Vanilla Latte, or was it a Mocha Frappuccino? Regardless, Donghyuck had a drink in mind and now he didn’t. All because the cashier was smiling widely at him, perfect straight teeth all on display as he rendered Donghyuck speechless. And Donghyuck _always_ had something to say. That moment, he didn’t and he blamed - Donghyuck cast his eyes to the name tag on the cashier’s shirt - Mark Lee.

“Can I get you something?” Mark repeated as he fidgeted behind the counter (probably because Donghyuck was staring at him way too intently - subconsciously of course) and looking out of place when he, in fact, belonged there.

“Do you have a recommendation?” As soon as Donghyuck asked the question, he wanted to run out of the cafe, wanted to hide away forever because _who_ asked for recommendations at Starbucks?

Mark looked surprised at the question, but he didn’t laugh. “What do you like?”

There were many things that Donghyuck liked, most of them involved him eating. But he was cultured too and enjoyed reading books (at times) and watching movies. Talking about movies, Donghyuck thought of the perfect one that he absolutely loved. “Harry Potter,” he said proudly in reply to Mark’s question.

When all Mark did was stare back blankly, Donghyuck suddenly realised that Mark hadn’t meant ‘what do you like’ _that_ way.

Face colouring, Donghyuck tried to laugh it off, head turning behind quickly to check if there was anybody standing around and might have had heard his conversation with Mark. It was a weekday afternoon and most people had classes at that time so Starbucks was thankfully empty. Only a few tables were occupied and one of those tables had Donghyuck’s friends. Donghyuck knew he was taking a long time, a much too long time considering that he was the only person in line, causing his friends to send him confused looks before they waved at him.

“You could get a Butterbeer Frappuccino, I guess?”

Donghyuck snapped his head back to face Mark. Did Mark really just say _Butterbeer Frappuccino_?

“I’m sorry.”

Smile now back on his face, Mark nodded. “It’s not on the official menu but I’m sure you know all about the secret menu.” He laughed then, but Donghyuck didn’t understand what the joke was. “You can’t get it all year round either because we only have stock for the toffee nut sauce in December and January.”

“Cool.” Donghyuck hadn’t intended to say that. “I’ll get a Butterbeer Frappuccino then.” He ignored his mind screaming for a normal Vanilla Latte. “A Venti,” he ordered on impulse.

Grabbing the biggest cup, Mark picked up a black marker and uncapped it as he asked, “Name?”

“Donghyuck.” He stopped himself before he could recite his phone number. But he didn’t stop himself from telling Mark: “My patronus is a bear.” Eyes fixed on Donghyuck as if encouraging him to continue, Mark turned slightly to pass the cup to the barista. “It’s not like a grizzly bear or a polar bear. More like a…” His cousin’s voice flashed in his mind then - _baby bear_ and Donghyuck scowled, pushing Johnny out of his head. “Like a normal bear? The one on your handphone. The standard iPhone bear.”

“I use a Samsung,” was all Mark said in reply, but he sounded so earnest that Donghyuck knew the other wasn’t about to make fun of him for talking about his _patronus_.

At Mark’s admission though, Donghyuck tried his very best not to let out a gasp and scrunch his nose. Deciding to focus on something other than the fact that there was someone in this world who didn’t use an iPhone and said person was standing right in front of him, Donghyuck said, “I’m a Slytherin.”

His sudden declaration about the Hogwarts house he belonged to was honestly more embarrassing than owning an Android. That moment, Donghyuck concluded that he was so perfect for Mark.

Someone called, “Donghyuck!” then and Donghyuck knew that his drink was ready. Forcing a smile onto his face, he nodded at Mark one last time before grabbing his drink off the counter and speed-walking back to the table where his friends were.

“What took you so long?” Jaemin huffed when Donghyuck finally made it back to their seat with a Venti in hand and looking extremely guilty. “What’s with that look on your face?”

Meanwhile, Jeno stared at Donghyuck worriedly, holding his hand and guiding him to the empty seat. “What’s wrong, Donghyuck? Did the barista give you any trouble?” Jeno sighed in relief when Donghyuck quickly shook his head in response.

Then there was Renjun who was looking at Donghyuck’s drink with curiosity. “What’s this? It’s all white but it has whipped cream on it so it can’t be the Vanilla Latte you wanted.”

Making a small noise of distressed, Donghyuck mumbled, “it’s Butterbeer”, making Renjun frown and lean in closer to him as he motioned for Donghyuck to repeat his words. “Butterbeer,” Donghyuck said again, barely a whisper this time and Renjun grabbed the drink out of frustration to take a sip and see for himself.

His face scrunched up in disgust and he pushed the drink back to Donghyuck who looked thoroughly ashamed. “What in the world is that?”

“Butterbeer,” Donghyuck sobbed as he buried his face in his hands, causing Jeno to panic slightly while Jaemin tried to understand what was going on. “Because I told him I liked Harry Potter.”

Renjun scoffed while Jeno tried coaxing Donghyuck’s hands away, asking him nicely about the full story.

“I asked him for a recommendation.” Donghyuck groaned at himself as he thought back to the beginning of his conversation with Mark and threw his head back, utterly miserable. He didn’t want to lower his head because he was certain that he would be met by two pairs of judgmental eyes. “So he asked me what I liked and I said - ”

“You said you liked Harry Potter,” Jaemin completed the sentence for Donghyuck, leaving the latter with no choice but to look at Jaemin and nodded his head to confirm the story. “I don’t think he meant it like that. I think he meant it more like ‘what kind of flavour you like’.”

Glaring at Jaemin, Donghyuck threw a napkin at him. “I know,” he hissed. “I just didn’t register it at that moment.” He glanced to Jeno and Renjun for help, though he didn’t know why he was even thinking that Renjun would take his side.

Surprisingly, it was Renjun backing him up. “Was he cute?” Donghyuck nodded, hope shining in his eyes as he took Renjun’s hands. With a frown, Renjun pushed Donghyuck’s hands away, shaking his head and tutting at him. “I hope that was all you told him.”

Eyes narrowing, Donghyuck scooted closer to Renjun. “And what do you mean by that?”

“I hope you didn’t tell him your patronus.”

Sobbing again, Donghyuck covered his face. “I did.”

Hesitantly, Jeno asked, “The standard iPhone bear?”

All Donghyuck did was sob even harder but that was enough for his three friends to know the answer.

Jaemin laid a hand on Donghyuck’s back. “There, there.”

*

“Why are we heading to Starbucks again?” Jeno asked as he tried to keep up with Donghyuck’s and Renjun’s pace. It was weird that they were both walking faster than him when he was the one with the longest legs. “Renjun doesn’t even like coffee.”

“Starbucks isn’t coffee,” Donghyuck snapped, walking even quicker to overtake Renjun, making Jeno roll his eyes. “And we’re going to Starbucks to help me redeem myself.”

Renjun’s hand landed on the door first and he pushed it open with a smug look on his face while Donghyuck cried, “that’s not fair!” He jerked a thumb back at Jeno who entered after him. “Jeno distracted me.”

Ignoring Donghyuck, Renjun waved a hand at the counter where Mark was. “Loser orders and pays.”

“I’m good with that,” Jeno supported Renjun instantly. “Should I tell Jaemin to come here after his class ends?”

“Yes,” Renjun said the same time Donghyuck said, “No.” Jeno pulled out his phone to send a text to Jaemin anyway.

Blowing a kiss at Donghyuck, Renjun gave his order - an iced cocoa, _“something normal and not from the magical world, please,”_ while Jeno asked for chai tea and a red velvet cake, and offered to wait for the drinks while Donghyuck ordered them. Renjun made a face at Jeno but eventually relented and left to find them a seat. 

Donghyuck sent Jeno a pleading look but the latter merely shook his head, making Donghyuck scowl. Unwillingly, very unwillingly, he dragged his feet over to the counter.

“Oh, it’s you again!” Mark grinned the moment he saw Donghyuck standing in front of cashier.

“You remember?” Donghyuck asked, pleased but refusing to let it show on his face.

Chuckling, Mark nodded, playing with the marker in his hand, spinning it a few times before setting it down on the counter. “You were telling me all about your patronus and which house you belonged to.” Ducking his head, Mark picked up the marker and started twisting it around his fingers again. “And I’m a Harry Potter fan too so you made quite an impression on me.”

“Which house are you in?” Donghyuck couldn’t help but ask. All thoughts of redeeming himself flying out from his head. Though there didn’t seem to be a need to redeem himself any longer seeing that Mark was also a Potterhead.

Tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip, Mark then answered, “Gryffindor,” at the same moment Donghyuck reached that conclusion on his own.

Sheepish grin on his face, Donghyuck said, “You seem like a Gryffindor.”

It was hardly a praise, not by a long shot but Mark has this huge grin on his face that told Donghyuck that he was happy about looking like he belonged in Gryffindor. Donghyuck didn’t want to tell Mark that Slytherin was the better house. 

“Butterbeer again, then?” Mark asked with a laugh, already reaching for a Venti cup.

 _“No?”_ Donghyuck wanted to say, not trying to understand why his subconscious sounded uncertain. “Yeah, sure,” he replied with a laugh. Getting a Venti-sized Butterbeer Frappuccino was better than arguing about the best house at any rate. “Also one Chai tea and a Mocha Frappuccino with extra whipped cream with the same size.” Screw Renjun and his iced cocoa. “And extra peppermint for the Mocha Frappuccino.” Screw Renjun.

Mark paused at writing on the cup, raising a brow at Donghyuck. “You sure about that combination?”

Thinking about how Renjun would probably dump it or force Donghyuck to drink it on his own, Donghyuck shook his head. It was his money too and he sure wasn’t going to waste it on petty revenge on Renjun like that. Renjun deserved something bigger. “Iced mocha,” he changed the order. At least it was the same colour as the cocoa. He felt bad when he saw Mark scratching out the previous notations and putting new ones down. 

Donghyuck paid slowly, thinking about what other things he could say to Mark. But Mark was already handing him the receipt before he could ask what the other’s patronus was. Plastering on a fake smile once again, he took the receipt before going over to the other counter for his drink where Jeno was waiting for him. The look on his face as he met Jeno’s eyes made the other’s own face fall.

Before Jeno could open his mouth, Donghyuck raised a hand to stop his friend from speaking. “Stop.” Using that hand to cover his eyes in shame, Donghyuck whimpered. He made a small dying noise at the back of his throat when he heard someone shouting, _Butterbeer Frappuccino for D.H.!_.

“Oh, Donghyuck.”

Pointing at Jeno, Donghyuck narrowed his eyes, wanting to wipe the look of pity off his friend’s face as he collected the drinks. “Jeno, don’t.” He handed the tray over to Jeno before walking over to where Renjun was waiting.

He frowned when he saw Jaemin seated there. “Don’t you have class?”

“I heard you were treating,” Jaemin answered truthfully, plucking a drink from the tray when Jeno reached the table to take a sip. “Mocha?”

“Where’s my cocoa?” Renjun asked in annoyance.

Feigning innocence, Donghyuck shrugged. “He must have gotten the order wrong. _Oops._ ”

Jeno was glaring at Jaemin. “You skipped class?”

Putting on his best puppy look, Jaemin nodded. “But it was useless, I swear. And I’m not failing that class so whatever, right?” When Jeno’s scowl disappeared, he turned to Donghyuck with a grin. “Get me an Americano.”

“No! Get me the iced cocoa! Jaemin can drink the mocha,” Renjun protested.

Smiling brightly at Jaemin, Donghyuck patted his friend on the shoulder. “I’ll get you your Americano with extra espresso shots.”

Completely tuning Renjun out, Donghyuck approached the counter again.

The moment Mark saw him, his face turned pale and Donghyuck stopped in his tracks. Why was Mark looking at him like that? Did he do something to make the other uncomfortable just now? Pushing these thoughts aside, Donghyuck smiled as he walked up to the counter.

“I’m sorry,” Mark blurted out and Donghyuck blinked back, confused. “If you’re here to tell me that you’re not going to call me, I understand.”

Tilting his head to the side, Donghyuck said, “I don’t understand.”

Mark motioned to the cups stacked beside the register. “My number? On the cup?”

Eyes widening in realisation, Donghyuck turned to table his friends were at and found them crowding over a drink, _his_ drink with their phones all whipped out. “Give me a second,” Donghyuck hurriedly told Mark as he rushed back to the table.

He grabbed Jaemin’s phone, successfully deleting Mark’s number before he unceremoniously threw it on the table, ignoring Jaemin’s shriek as he picked up his cup and shielded it from Renjun and Jeno’s eyes.

“You guys are _not_ saving Mark’s number to prank him. It’s for _me_.”

“Come on,” Renjun groaned but he was already being ushered out of his seat by Donghyuck.

“We’re leaving,” Donghyuck announced, herding his three friends together like they were sheep.

As they walked past the counter where Mark was standing, watching the whole interaction with wide eyes, Jaemin started making kissy faces at him, causing him to blush while Jeno whistled and Renjun made finger hearts at him.

“Get out,” Donghyuck hissed at them. “Don’t bother him!”

“He’ll call you!” Renjun told Mark before his face got pushed by Donghyuck.

“I’ll call you!” Donghyuck shouted to Mark as he continued pushing his three friends out of the glass doors, death grip on the Butterbeer Frappuccino in his hand.

**Author's Note:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/fullsunlet)
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated!


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